they've watched as our defense capabilities have been reduced with massive cuts in the defense budget, and perhaps more on the way. we've seen a president who is very comfortable with american decline, who seems to think that the united states is part of the problem, who thinks that a strong, assertive america with a major place in the world is part of the problem and is happy to have our influence recede. i think the vice-president's emphasis on our lack of credibility is quite significant when you hear administration spokes people talking about syria and tell assad there will be consequences if he use chemical weapons. what do they mine, indicting him in the international criminal court? that's their idea of serious consequences. it's no wonder that neither assad nor other dictators pay attention to us. >> greta: it's a real immediate risk that something will happen to those chemical weapons with the president of syria, and if something does happen, it will be a minute before tens of thousands of people will be dead. i'm curious. what would you -- number one, with 20/20 hindsight, w